A Robin's Story: without extraneous stuff
by riawolf
Summary: Robin has a secret: his past. For those of you who have read my other story that shares the same title... This is basically the same story only without my conversations with the Titans.
1. Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans! But if I did there would so be many cool action-adventure thingys going on! **

Title: ROBIN'S STORY

**CHAPTER 1: **

**Beginning**

No one knows why or how it happened. It just did. The Teen Titans stopped being friends… It just sort of happened. They say it was because of him, and what he did. We don't know where he is now but we're sure he's somewhere out there…

"**_I know you're out there_**

_**Somewhere out there…"**_

(These are some lyrics to Somewhere Out There by Our Lady Peace)

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_Why can't I tell them? I should be able to, but I can't. What I'd tell them would ruin our friendship. Would they still be my friends? What would she think? She might never speak to me again if I told them. What happened in the past... I can't let them find out. It would ruin everything. My new life since then would be destroyed. The truth would destroy me, and it might destroy them._

_Time to go, he thought._ The sirens were blasting annoyingly in his ears by the bed. _I can't think about this now. I have a job to do. _Robin sat bolt upright when they went off. He jumped out bed and grabbed his cape and mask. The mask went on automatically, out of habit. It was always as if he was hiding, or maybe trying to forget, something. He pulled the black titanium alloy cape over his head and straightened it while on the run to meet up with the others.

"What's the trouble?" –Robin.

"You don't want to know…" –Cyborg.

"Yes. I do." –Robin.

"It's Slade. He's back…"Cyborg.

"What! I thought Terra destroyed him!"—Robin.

"Apparently not. We have to get to him before anything else happens." –Raven.

"What the hell is going on!" –Robin.

"Slade's robots are destroying the city! I thought you knew that." –Cyborg.

"I would if somebody would tell me!" –Robin.

**For those of you who do not have any idea why I am writing a second version of this story… One of my reviewers told me they didn't like reading stories with "extraneous comments" during the story. So I order to accommodate for those readers who did not enjoy the conversations I had with the Titans, here is your own personal version!**


	2. He Knows and That's Not Good

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans!

_**CHAPTER 2:**_

_**He Knows And That's Not Good!**_

By the time the Titans arrived on the scene, Slade's robots had gotten out of control. **_(Well, duh…because the Titans hadn't alerted Robin right away!)_**

"Titans! Go!" –Robin.

Beastboy changed into a T-Rex and charged at the robot army. Starfire immediately began firing starbolts at the thousands of robots. Cyborg ploughed through the ranks with his sonic cannon. Then, he began fighting his way through and was soon engulfed in five different robots. This however, did not appear to slow him down. He ripped through them like a knife through butter **_(I know, that's not a very exciting metaphor, but I couldn't think of anything else)._** One of the bigger robots threw a gigantic piece of pavement Raven's way and she just barely was able to catch it with her dark powers to crush the robot with it. Robin pulled out his bow staff and began slashing his way through the robots.

"Why is Slade doing this? I thought he was dead!" –Robin.

"On the contrary, Robin..." The robot ranks parted to reveal Slade in the center of the robot army, "I am alive and well."

Robin charged forward toward Slade and began attacking him with all his might. _Left…Right…Left!_ Slade however dodged every attack.

"I know your secret little boy…"

_How could he know! He wasn't around when any of that happened! Hey! I am NOT little!_ Robin brought his fist toward Slade's face in anger. But Slade stopped his fist with his right hand, twisted Robin's arm around and flipped him over onto his stomach.

Slade placed his foot heavily on Robin's back and pressed downwards, "You cannot keep anything from me, boy."

"Yeah, right!" Robin spat, even though the pressure on his back was knocking the wind out of him.

"Don't make me laugh, Robin. I know everything there is to know about you, and about your past."


	3. Whatever Happened to Batman and Robin?

First… A Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans…yada, yada, yada… 

**CHAPTER 3: **

**Whatever Happened to Batman and Robin?**

_Richard Grayson thought back to that fateful night as he sat on his bed, stroking the head of his black dog, somewhere to the west of Jump City. He had a new life now that the Titans were no more._

"I know what you did, Robin. You tried to hide it, but it couldn't work on me." That's when Robin started to think about what the truth would do to her. It will destroy her. _Raven… I know she doesn't speak to me very much now, but still, the things she does say…_

After finishing off the recent robot she had been battling, Raven saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Robin!" Raven saw the familiar black glow form around one arm from the robot she had recently dispatched. Telepathically, she flung it in Slade's direction. Slade was hit by the flying robotic arm from behind so he never even saw it coming.

Despite being hit by the almost 15 ton **_(exaggeration, I know…)_** piece of metal, Slade was able to flip back onto his feet before the arm hit the side of a nearby building. So he escaped with the worst being a sore back. But he was ready to fight back nonetheless.

"Starfire!" –Cyborg.

Starfire spun around, and gasped, to see 10 robots leap on top of her. She struggled to free herself and before Cyborg could get there to help her, she had blasted them with a blinding green column of light.

"Guess you can take care of yourself!" –Cyborg.

"Raven, Look out!" –Beastboy had just seen Slade run up behind Raven, who was helping Robin up, and do a spin kick. This knocked Robin and Raven down to the ground away from each other.

**A Little Later…**

Slade had Raven in a tight spot. He had pinned her to the wall of a building by her arms. "You think you know Robin. But he has actually kept a lot of secrets from you and his little friends."

"What nonsense are you talking about now?" –Raven.

"You know, I think Robin has a soft spot for you, child."

"Oh Shut Up!"

"I mean it's obvious. But I think your relationship will never work."

"I think I know the answer to that! He could never--"

"Love someone like you? **_(Laughs…)_** You mean he never told you?"

"Told me what!"

"His secret!"

"Robin would never—"

"He's crazy because he killed Batman."

Raven was so shocked she didn't know what to do or say. "That—That's a lie! Anything you say is a lie!"

"Are you so sure, Raven? Maybe you should ask Robin?" And Slade vanished into the darkness of the fighting robots as Raven's anger took over and her powers brought the neighboring buildings down onto where he had been.

Robin: "Raven! Are you—

Raven: "Don't touch me."

Robin: "Raven, what are you—"

Raven: "How could you lie to us! I never thought that you would be the one who was a liar!" Robin angrily watched Raven storm away.

"I told her what you did." –Slade.

"What did you say to her!" –Robin.

**END CHAPTER THREE!**


	4. You Killed Batman!

**Disclaimer: You all know what I'm going to say here so I won't type it.**

CHAPTER 4:

**You Killed Batman!**

_Richard thought back to that night. It almost brought tears to his eyes, how everything turned out after that. He turned the page in his journal in order to remind himself for the billionth time he had screwed it up big time._

"Alright…Explain this to me again, Rob…YOU KILLED BATMAN WHILE BEING POSSESSED!" –Cyborg.

(What Cyborg is referring to is what happened in a Batman: Beyond movie I saw. In this movie, the Joker had kidnapped Robin and made Robin just as crazy as the Joker himself.)

"This changes everything now, man!" –Beastboy. "At first I just thought all of your uptightness was just you, but this!"

Starfire choked back a sob, "Why would you do this, Robin?"

Robin didn't know what to say. He just sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

"You know what? Now I just think that our whole idea of being part of this team is worthless now. Not like it wasn't before. It all means nothing now. It was all based on a lie!" –Raven.

"It's not like that, Raven." –Robin.

"Then tell us, Robin! What is it like knowing that you're a murderer!" –Raven.

"I started the Teen Titans in order to make up for what happened." –Robin.

"That's not an explanation, Robin!" –Raven, "And nothing you can say or do can ever take back the fact that you killed Batman!"

Silence followed, but Starfire broke it, "Why did you keep this from us, Robin."

Robin looked into Starfire's tear stained face. "I…I don't know…"

"Then how do you expect us to trust you again!" –Cyborg.

"You don't have to." –Robin, "Maybe I should have never started this team."

"Good! Now maybe we can all go back to our lives! I thought that you would help me defeat my father, but you're just a big goddamn fing liar!" –Raven.

_That was that. The Teen Titans were no more. Richard didn't even know what happened to his ex-friends after that. He was pretty sure that Starfire had left Earth for Tamaran. Cyborg had kept in touch for a little while, but they had lost touch a while back. Beastboy was probably still friends with Cyborg somewhere in Jump City. As for her… Raven never even told the others where she was going. She had just left after calling Robin a liar one last time. The city had been practically destroyed because of Raven's unchecked anger. Richard was surprised that he hadn't been destroyed along with it._

_Richard shut his journal because he knew what else was written in there. He had spent the rest of the past years hunting down Slade without anyone's help. He needed to get his revenge for what Slade had done to ruin his life. During that time, Slade had almost managed to make him an apprentice again, using what he knew about Richard's past. In the end, Slade had paid with his life for it._

_What he had explained to his friends was true. The Joker had kidnapped him and forced him to become just like him: a psycho who went around killing people just for a few laughs. The Joker managed to control Richard enough to end up killing Batman… After seeing what he had done, Richard caused the Joker's plan to backfire. Robin, in turn, had killed the Joker. _

_Until he had started the Teen Titans, and even after that, Richard had had to control the maniacal alter ego within him, which was why he was always so uptight, as Beastboy had put it. But then he started the Teen Titans, thinking that he could somehow repair the damage he had done. But now, Richard realized that this could never be undone. Just like Raven had said, he was a liar, even unto himself. _

_Richard stood up and walked over to his desk. He sat in the chair and started and e-mail to Cyborg. Of course it would find him, the e-mail thing was part of Cyborg's arm! Richard had a hard time remembering Cyborg's address. Richard typed: 'It has been a long time…'_

"What the Fuck!" –Beastboy. "Dude! I can't believe you just beat me! Again!"

"What are you talking about man? I always beat you!" –Cyborg.

After the Titans broke up, Cyborg and Beastboy really had nowhere to go. Eventually, Beastboy had found Cyborg and they decided to sneak back into Titans Tower to live. Right now, they were playing their favorite Game-station game, Speed Racing 5. **_(I don't know what else to call it…)_**

Suddenly… 'Bing! Bing! Bing!'

"What the hell is that!" –Beastboy.

"Chill man, it's just the e-mail system I set up." –Cyborg.

"Phew!" –Beastboy. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know! Will you just let me read it!" –Cyborg.

After a few seconds, Cyborg got this shocked look on his face, like Beastboy had just beat him at Game-station. "Dude… It's from Robin." Cyborg and Beastboy stared at each other.

"What are we gonna do?" –Beastboy.

"You mean, what am I going to do?" –Cyborg. "I don't know. Respond, I guess."

"Did you read it?" –Beastboy.

"DUH!" –Cyborg.

"Well, what does it say?" –Beastboy.

"Um…you don't want to know." –Cyborg.

"C'mon Cyborg! You can tell me! I'm really good at keeping secrets!" –Beastboy

"It's not a secret!"—Cyborg.

"Then what does it say!"—Beastboy.

"Alright! I'll read it to you…" –Cyborg.


	5. The Messages

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the TT (Teen Titans).**

CHAPTER 5:

The Messages

Cyborg read the e-mail from Robin as follows:

_It has been a long time, Cyborg. I wish that we had kept in touch more often than the once a year e-mail that it dwindled down to these past ten years. Now that I think back on it, I wish that I hadn't lied. I should have told you guys in the first place what had happened. But I was only protecting you and the others. I hope that you can understand this. Although I feel that none of you guys can or ever will. I will always be this way. I know that there is no cure for what the Joker did to me, but I wish there was. I wish that somehow I could take back everything that has happened to ruin everything. I hope that you all have a nice life now that I am no longer a part of it. –Robin._

Cyborg: "Oh and there's a post script…"

_If you happen to meet up with the others, tell them everything. Or send them this e-mail if possible. Goodbye._

Beastboy: "Goodbye? Why would he say that?"

Cyborg: "I have no idea. I just hope that he doesn't do anything… you know…"

Beastboy: "Stupid?"

Cyborg: "Yeah."

Beastboy: "Or wacko? Or moronic? Or messed up? Or—

Cyborg: "Okay, Okay! I get the point, Beastboy!"

_**(pause)**_

Beastboy: "Do we even know where the girls are?"

Cyborg: "I know that Starfire went back to Tamaran. But Raven… I don't know."

Beastboy: "Well, we gotta find her and tell her what's going on!"

Cyborg: "You know, man, that's like the smartest thing I've heard you say."

Beastboy: "What do you mean? I've said plenty of smart things!"

Cyborg just laughed. But it was interrupted by a sound from behind. Cyborg and Beastboy whipped around to see someone they never thought they'd see again… Raven.

Raven: "What are you looking at?"

Beastboy: "But you---I thought—I mean we--- Where did you come from!"

Raven: "Azarath, of course."

Cyborg: "You went back to Azarath?"

Raven: "Didn't I just say that? But enough with the questions. This is an emergency."

Beastboy: "Rae, you do realize that there hasn't been an emergency in, like, ages, right?"

Raven: "Yes. But this is for real. And don't call me Rae."

Cyborg: "Sensors don't read anything."

Raven: "That's because your sensors can't detect the Dark Portal from the Demon World." **_(A/N: The Demon World referred to is otherwise known as Azarath)_**

Beastboy: "Rae! What the hell is going on!"

Raven: "That's exactly what's going on! Hell! (pauses) And I told you not to call me Rae!"

Cyborg and Beastboy: WHAT DO YOU MEAN--HELL!

Raven: "You both remember the terrible condition the city was in the last time we saw each other?"

Beastboy: "You mean all the earthquakes and all that stuff your emotions caused when you left?"

Raven: "Yes. That huge outburst caused me to free my father, Trigon. I have tried to contain him on Azarath, but he is too powerful for me to defeat on my own."

Cyborg: "So you came back to Earth to get us? But why?"

Raven: "You guys were able to defeat my anger in my mind, right? I hope you guys can do the same thing again."

Beastboy: "But, Rae! We're gonna need more manpower than that! We're gonna need—

Raven: "The other two Titans? Yeah, right. We don't have any way of contacting them."

Cyborg: "Well, I can contact Starfire, but Ro—I mean the other guy is another story."

Raven: "You might as well call Starfire."

Beastboy: "What about R—OUCH!"

Cyborg managed to keep Beastboy from saying too much by stepping on Beastboy's foot.

Raven: "We don't need him. He doesn't think we need him anymore, anyway."

Cyborg: "How do you know that?"

Raven: "Let's just say, that I have been… Oh, there's no time to explain…Uggg…"

All the stress seemed to be making Raven nauseous. Cyborg and Beastboy just managed to catch her before she fell.

Cyborg: "Raven! What's wrong?"

Raven: "It's… Robin."

Beastboy: "What's up with Robin?"

Before she could answer, Raven passed out cold.


	6. Starfire's Return

**Disclaimer: None of the characters of Teen Titans are mine. But they have graciously come forward to listen to my story! Thanks Dudes!**

**Titans: You're welcome, Katy.**

(A/N: Anything in italics is in Starfire's head!)

**CHAPTER 6: **

**Starfire's return**

Raven opened her eyes to see the ceiling of the disused med-lab. "What happened?" –Raven.

"Friend Raven! You are alright!" Raven turned to the familiar sound of Starfire's voice by the bed.

"Beastboy, Cyborg, and I have been sick with the worry over your condition."

"Starfire. I can self-heal remember? I'm fine now."

Starfire looked at her with concern as Raven attempted to sit up. "Please. You must rest now. You are unwell."

"I told you, Starfire. I'm fine."

"Are you--

"Yes, Starfire. I'm fine."

After a pause, Starfire couldn't hold back the questions she wanted to ask Raven any longer, "Raven? Cyborg has told me what you said was going to happen here on Earth. About your father, yes?"

"Yes. My father—is coming."

"Beastboy mentioned that you had said something was wrong with—

Starfire's last question was interrupted by Cyborg and Beastboy's entrance, "Raven! You're okay!" –Beastboy.

"I am, but Robin isn't." –Raven.

Starfire: "Raven, what are you –

"We have to find him!" –Raven.

"Raven! We don't even know where he is! Besides we have a more urgent matter to deal with right now! Someone named Trigon ring a bell?" –Cyborg.

"No! This has to be dealt with now!" –Raven.

Starfire tried to stop the yelling: "Friends—we must—please--" However, no matter how hard she and Beastboy tried, they could not get Raven and Cyborg to stop yelling.

_Ohh…There is only one single thing left to do…_

"STOP!" –Starfire yelled at the top of her voice. Her eyes glowed green with anger and frustration. Raven, Cyborg, and Beastboy all stopped talking and stared at her. They had never heard Starfire raise her voice like that before. "It was not like this. Never like this! We never used to fight like this. We are friends! If we could simply agree on one idea… _No, that is not what I wanted to say_… I cannot take this fighting anymore! And I know none of you can as well! We must make temporary amends in order to save Earth and… Friend Robin… From what I have been told, Robin is in danger, yes, Raven?"

"Yes." –Raven.

"We must find Robin." –Starfire.

"But Star. We don't even know where he is." –Beastboy.

"If Raven's father is coming to Earth, then, we must have Robin here to give his every aid and assistance." –Starfire.

"No! We are not getting Robin, and that's FINAL!" –Cyborg. Cyborg did not explain this sudden aversion to looking for Robin, but Raven, Starfire, and Beastboy assumed it was because of what Robin had done. Cyborg felt he couldn't trust Robin anymore.

"I will go search for him on my own." –Starfire.

"Starfire." –Raven reached for Starfire's arm and grabbed it, "You cannot go alone. I will go too." –Raven.

"Rae, you can't go! Cy and I need you here! To defeat the nasty demon-guy!" –Beastboy.

Raven did not notice that Beastboy used the nickname that she hated, "Starfire has no idea where to find Robin on her own. It could take ages before she actually found him. By then it could be too late…" –Raven.

"Too late?" –Starfire. "It's never too late."

Raven did not respond to this, she just kept explaining to Beastboy why she had to go with Starfire, "Besides I am the only one who can show Starfire the fastest way."

"You mean, you knew where Robin was this whole time and didn't tell us!" –Beastboy.

Raven nodded in answer to this and she and Starfire flew out of the med-lab window to begin their frantic search for Robin before Trigon arrived to destroy the mortal world.


	7. The Search Begins

**Disclaimer: Do not own the TT. Never have and never…will. (I am saddened. Drops head in shame.)**

**Chapter 7: **

**The Search Begins**

"Raven? Where do we begin?"

Raven answered without looking at Starfire, "By talking to Robin."

"But how shall we contact him if he is not here?"

Raven shook her head at Starfire's ignorance, and landed outside Jump City, in the hills. She sat down and began, what looked to be meditation to Starfire.

"Raven?"

"What?" Raven answered after being disturbed from her concentration for the second time.

"How can you do the meditation when we should be looking for Robin?"

"I am trying to locate his mind."

"Oh." And Starfire decided to let Raven do her thing. She knew when Raven did not wish to be disturbed.

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Meanwhile, back at Titans Tower, Cyborg and Beastboy were keeping tabs on the Demon Portal. Before leaving, Raven had helped figure out a device that would be able to track its progress. Right now, to the visible eye, the portal did not seem to be getting any bigger. But the numbers on the screen did not lie. They were getting bigger every second.

"C'mon Raven. I hope you find Robin soon!" –Beastboy.

"Will you stop saying that!" –Cyborg.

"Dude! What is with you? Why do you not want to find Robin?" –Beastboy.

"Because!" –Cyborg.

"Because why!" –Beastboy.

Cyborg knew he shouldn't answer that, but he did anyway, "It is stupid, and pointless, for Raven and Starfire to search for him! They should not be out running around looking for our famous 'leader'! He is a liar! We can't trust him anymore, B! He could kill himself for all I care!"

Beastboy was shocked to hear Cyborg speak this way about Robin. For as long as he could remember, Cyborg and Robin had been best friends. They were almost like brothers sometimes. "How could you say that… you used to be such good—

"Friends? HA! I can't believe I ever believed that spiky haired jerk, who always smelled like cheap hair gel all the time! I'm glad he's gone!"

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_A black shadowy form flew from roof to roof---All he knew was he had to get there---(wherever there was)---That nagging annoyingly high pitched voice in the back of his mind telling, demanding to go there---With each step he took he got closer and the voice got louder--- Until he couldn't stand_ _it anymore---- _

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

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"Robin!" –Raven.

Once she had awakened from her trance by the scream, Raven felt Starfire's hand on her shoulder.

"Raven! What is wrong! Have you found---

"He's in Gotham City! We have to get there! He's losing—he won't make it---not without—

Starfire lifted Raven to her feet, "Which way should we go?"

"West." Raven tried to levitate but found her energy dangerously depleted. She fell to her knees, Starfire just barely catching her.

"Rest. I will aid you." Starfire carried Raven underneath her arms and flew towards Gotham City.


	8. The Psycho in Gotham

**Disclaimer: Do not own… can I just skip this? It's getting too annoying typing that I don't own them all the time!**

(A/N: From here on, since most of the action takes place in Gotham City, I will use a Batman: Beyond character. His name is Terri McGinnis. He is supposed to take Batman's place. But because Batman is dead, for this story's purposes, let's just say that Alfred the butler hired Terri to take Batman's place. Okay?---Good?---Good. Now that we understand each other, let's start the chapter!)

**CHAPTER 7:**

**The Pyscho in Gotham**

"Patrol time, Master McGinnis." –Alfred.

"Be right there." –Terri.

19 year old, Terri McGinnis placed the phone back on the hook in his family's apartment, where he lived with his mother and annoying little brother.

"I'm going out, Mom." –Terri called to his mom as he grabbed his leather coat and opened the door.

"Okay." –Terri's Mother called back, not even bothering to look from where she was engrossed in her soaps in front of the TV. Terri rolled his eyes at her response.

Once outside, Terri pulled on his jacket and hailed a cab. He sat down in the back seat and leaned his head against the glass of the cab window He barely noticed the quickly passing cars and people walking the sidewalk. He watched the lights flash by in a blur while he thought to himself, 'Can't this guy go any faster? Man, I wish I Mom would let me get my own car so I could drive!' **_(Hey, this sounds like something I would think!)_**

Then, out of nowhere, some guy, wearing a long trench coat and a matching hat, comes running into the road in front of the cab. The cab driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting him. The wheels of the car squealed in protest as they brought the cab to a halting stop just a few inches from hitting the guy in the road.

"Hey! Get out of the road will 'ya!" –The cab driver leaned out the window and shouted at the guy standing in the middle of the road.

Terri leaned out of his window and looked at the man standing in front of the cab. His eyes grew wide at the sight. This guy was just standing facing the car when he climbed onto the hood. The sharp sword-type thing seemed to just grow out of the hood from the engine underneath.

'This guy's crazy!' –Terri thought.

"What the heck did you do that for!" The cab driver berated the wacko standing on the hood of the car. But the mysterious man didn't even listen or answer the cab driver. He just pulled out something from inside his pocket and pointed.

!BANG! The cab driver's head fell backward to an impossible angle, and Terri could see that he had been shot right between the eyes! Right then, Terri got out of the cab and ran away. He had to make it to Wayne Manor! And soon!

'Something really weird is going on!' –Terri thought. Once he made it around a street corner, Terri glanced back to where the cab was. The man on the hood was gone!

Terri continued to run the last few blocks to Wayne Manor, which was located right outside Gotham. As he ran he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. The phone rang twice before Alfred answered the phone.

"Yes, Master McGinnis? Where are you?" –Alfred.

"I kinda ran into a setback. Something's happening downtown! I have to—

"I know. Everything is all set here." –Alfred.

Terri was once again amazed by how much Alfred knew without actually being told anything was going on.

'Does he even sleep like normal people at all?' –Terri thought.

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Richard felt himself running along the roofs of Gotham City. _I haven't felt this concrete in a long time… _

'_This is where you belong.'_

'_But what about Jump City?'—Robin._

_'Jump City doesn't need you. You belong here, with me.'_

_'Stop it! I won't listen to you!'—Robin._

_'But you must.'_

_'Go away! Leave me alone!'—Robin._

_'I will never go away. I will always be a part of you.'_

_'Stop!'—Robin._

_'You will not stop. Who's going to stop you? Not Batman. He is dead. You killed him.'_

_'Shut up! I won't listen to you!' –Robin._

_'You can't shut me out. I am always here, Robin.'_

_'Help me!'—Robin._

_'There is no one to hear you scream. There is no one here but me, Robin.'_

_'Raven!'—Robin._

_'She can't hear you now. Your little friends can't help you.'_

_(pause)_

_'What are you doing?'_ Richard saw his hand lifting the gun and pointing it at the unknown figure in the car. _'No! Don't—I won't let you!'_

_'You cannot stop me.'_ And Little J fired.

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"There!" –Raven pointed down into the streets of Gotham City from where Starfire held her in the night sky. Starfire landed on a rooftop and she and Raven ran to the edge of the roof.

"I do not see Robin." –Starfire.

Raven didn't answer. She was too busy watching what was unfolding below her on the street. A cab had to stop suddenly to avoid hitting a man in the road.

"What is happening, Raven?" –Starfire.

The cab driver shook his fist at the man in the road. But the man did not seem to hear. He hit the car with something. The cab driver just shook his fist all the harder.

"That man is a bad man!" –Starfire said, referring to the man in the trench coat.

Then, the man something that no one expected. He pulled out a gun and shot the cab driver. Raven and Starfire watched in horror as the driver fell back and the passenger in the cab took off.

"We cannot let him escape, Raven!" –Starfire flew off after the man in the trench coat.

"Starfire! Wait! That's—

Starfire did not hear Raven. She just flew after the retreating man who was jumping from each car's top down the road, his coat flaring out behind him like a cape. As the man ran, his hat fell off revealing black spiky hair. From inside his coat pocket, he pulled out another object and fired a grapille at a building up ahead. He swung up to the roof of the building.

Once on the roof, he heard a voice from behind, "Stop!"

The man turned around to face a floating Starfire, who gasped at the sight of his face, a hand extended, and his gun pointed at her.

"Bye Bye!" –Robin said to Starfire before firing.

But the bullet never hit its target. A black shroud enveloped the bullet in midair. "Nobody hurts my friends." –Raven.

"ooo… Nice trick, little lady. I applaud you!" –Robin.

"Shut up, Robin. You're coming with us!" –Raven.

"Only if you catch me first!" –Robin took off into the night, followed by Starfire and Raven.


	9. He's Alive!

**Disclaimer: Do not own the TT. Can't think of anything else to write…**

**Neonian:**_You're welcome! I did not want to lose a reader who thought that my story had potential. Besides, you're right. There are people out there who do not like the stories that have conversations with the stars. So in a way, I wrote this version for you! Now to answer all of your reviews: #1) Thanks for the spell check on BO STAFF! #2) Yes, Slade is telling the truth. Anyone can find out anything through the internet these days! #3) I'll try to keep my author notes to a minimum #4) I did use that movie (The Return of the Joker) I just couldn't think of the name! #5) Thanks for all the clear-ups on Tim Drake and Richard Grayson. I did not know that! THANKS! #6) Yes I am just writing out of my own head. This plot just came to me one day when I had really bad writer's block! #7) I intended to write this story with the Rob Rae pairing. #8) They (the TT) don't get to fight Trigon in Raven's mind--the battle will take place in Jump City. #9) Raven was unconscious for a while. I don't know exactly how long though… #10) BB is siding with Raven and Starfire, NOT CYBORG! #11) I did not try to gloss things over in "Starfire's Return". That was just the way I write. Sorry! #12) Robin has gone insane. The Joker in his mind has taken over. I guess Slade sort of activated his insanity. #13) I borrowed Terri from the future. #14) Robin killed the cab driver randomly. #15) I don't know exactly what Raven has been able to see in Robin's mind. That is a work in progress!_

**CHAPTER 9:**

**He's Alive?**

It had seemed easy at first. Chasing Robin through the streets of Gotham, considering Raven and Starfire could fly and he could not. However, they had soon lost track Robin. Then again, Robin was resourceful when he needed to be. _I guess the manic mind control has learned to use Robin's resourcefulness…_Raven thought to herself as she and Starfire split up to begin combing the city by air in order to relocate Robin.

"We must find Robin before---" Starfire had said. Raven agreed and then suggested that they split up. They could find him faster that way. The two girls would stay in contact through their resurrected Titan's communicators.

Raven's thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ringing from the device. "Yes?" Raven was surprised to see the face of Cyborg staring stolidly back at her from the tiny screen.

"Rae, Where are you!"

"In Gotham City."

"Gotham City! Rae, you and Star need to get back here now!"

"Why? We're following Robin! We can't turn back now!"

"RAE! Trigon is almost through the portal! You have to come back now!------- Rae?" Raven did not answer. She had been grabbed from the air by none other than…Batman?

Raven: "Let go of me! Who are you?"

Cyborg's voice from communicator: "Raven! What the—"

Terri: "I'm Batman."

Raven: "Wha--- But you're supposed to be---

Terri: "It's a long story."

Batman landed on a nearby roof and placed Raven on her feet.

Raven: "But I was told that you were---dead?"

Terri: "I'm the one who should be asking the questions."

Raven didn't really trust this guy who said he was Batman. How did she know who or what he was? Skeptically, Raven said, "Ask away."

Terri: "Who are you and what brings you to Gotham City?"

Raven: "I don't think I should tell you."

Terri's eyes narrowed at this response and said, "I have other ways to make you talk."

Raven: "Am I supposed to feel threatened? I'm looking for a friend."

Terri: "You still haven't answered my other question."

Raven: "Raven. And you are?"

Terri skipped answering this question and asked, "What sort of friend?"

Raven: "Robin."

Terri's eyes widened at this. Alfred had told him that Robin had left Gotham after something happened between him and Batman. Alfred wouldn't say what though. "Why? He's not here in Gotham, if that's what you think. And why are you looking for him?"

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled her hood down, much to Terri's surprise. "He has gone insane. I traced his mind here to Gotham City."

Terri didn't know what to say to this, except for, "What?" He knew this woman, Raven, was capable of flight, but reading minds? "So Robin is still alive?"

"Yes, and he's running loose in the streets of Gotham." Raven was getting tired of explaining everything to this guy who claimed to be Batman. She knew full well that Batman was dead. Robin had killed him a long time ago! "Have you seen him?"

Terri thought this over quickly in his mind. Except for the pictures Alfred had shown him at Wayne Manor, he had never even met Robin. Let alone spoken to the Boy Wonder. _Wait a minute! What about the guy who shot the cab driver?_

"Have you seen him or not!" Raven was getting impatient. This idiot didn't know what he was talking about.

"Is he wearing a long trench coat and a matching hat?"

Raven, surprised at this question, narrowed her eyes and answered, "Yes?"

"Then, yes. I have seen him. As a matter of fact, I'm chasing him too."


	10. Only One Thing Left To Do

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans! I never have, never will.**

**CHAPTER 10:  
****Only One Thing Left To Do**

The last thing that Starfire remembered before being knocked out was a sweet smell in the air.

She had been flying along, following no street in particular, looking for a sign of Robin. _'Why would Robin act so strangely? He would never wish to harm me or any of our friends.'_ It was then that she spotted him. Starfire followed Robin to the roof of a warehouse on the pier. She landed, but by then he was gone.

"Robin? I do not wish to fight you…" It was scary on the dark rooftop, especially being alone. But she had to find Robin. That was of the utmost importance right now.

Then, a voice out of nowhere screamed, "Help me!" The voice sounded a lot like Robin's.

"Robin!" Still hearing the bodiless cries for help, Starfire ran into the building andonto the top floor. She followed the sounds to a door down a long, darkhallway. She hesitated before opening it because she could hear voices coming from the room beyond.

"What have you done?"

"I have done nothing. You have done all those things."

"Stop it!"

Starfire could hold her silence no longer, "Robin?" The voices on the other side of the door stopped shouting at the sound of her voice.

"Starfire?"

She slowly turned the doorknob and pushed open the door, which squeaked in protest. What she saw inside broke her heart. A man, whom she recognized as Robin, only older, was squeezing his body into a far corner of the dimly lit room. A ceiling lamp swung back and forth, throwing eerie shadows all over the room. The man was alone, which Starfire found strange. She was sure that she had heard two specific voices through the door. Robin was wearing the same long, tan colored coat, but had lost the hat. Robin appeared to be shaking all over.

She had never seen Robin like this before. _'This cannot be… my Robin…'_

"Robin?"

"Starfire…You shouldn't be here…"

"Robin, what is—

"No! You have to get out now! Before it's too late! Get out before--!"

"I will contact Raven. We will help you. We are your friends Robin…and we will not leave here without you." So saying, Starfire pulled out her communicator. She turned to the right frequency and said, "Raven, friend Raven? I must speak with you."

_"What is it? Can it wait? I'm sort of …busy right now."_

"This must not wait. I have found Robin."

_"Where are you? We'll be right there."_

This was Starfire's mistake: by turning her back to Robin she left him the open opportunity for an attack. Starfire realized it too late to do anything about fixing it. The air in the room began to feel heavy and smelled sweet. It was so relaxing. Starfire felt sleep descending upon her.

_"Starfire? What's going on? Starfire! Are you there?"_

* * *

"Starfire? What's going on? Starfire! Are you there?" Raven shouted into her communicator. 

Terri stared at her---his eyes narrowed when Raven's friend, Starfire was her name apparently, did not answer. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong. My friend is in trouble. I need to find her."

"I thought we were looking for Robin."

We are! Starfire was helping me; we had to split up. She had contacted me now to tell me that she had found him."

Terri approached Raven warily and asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Not really."

"Well, you're going to have to in order to find your friend."

"Why do you want to help us?"

"I don't know. But I think I should."

"That's a stupid answer."

"I know, but it should be good enough for now. Come on!" Terri grabbed Raven underneath his arm again and started off towards Wayne Manor.

"Hey! Let go of me! I can take care of myself! Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

**Later at Wayne Manor…**

"So you really are Batman…" –Raven.

"His replacement really." –Alfred.

"What do you mean?" –Raven.

"Ma… I mean, Batman was killed a long time ago, but Master McGinnis has brought order to Gotham for five years running now." –Alfred.

The sight of the Bat Cave had convinced Raven that Terri was in actuality the new Batman. But she still gave Terri the feeling of mistrust towards him. _'I wonder if she's always like this?'_ Currently, Terri was using the computer to track the frequency from Starfire's communicator. Raven had loaned him hers for this purpose. He studied the communicator now: It was a relatively circular shape, yellow and black in color, with a large letter 'T' printed on the front. He found himself wishing that there was a faster way to find Raven's friends.

"There is a faster way, Terri." Raven's voice startled him, "The mind reading comes with being part demon."

Terri found this a shocking fact. _'Raven is part demon, and she can read people's minds? I'm afraid to find out what else she can do…I guess I really don't know anything about her.'_

"I can use my ability to find them, but I have to know where they are first, which is why we are tracking the call."

"I just wish this computer would go a little faster."

"Patience, Master McGinnis."

Terri hated it when Alfred said something like that. It got on his nerves. "Wait a minute! I think its working!" Terri referred to the computer screen which pulled up some data on Starfire's transmission. The data concluded that the call had the backdrop of coming from somewhere inside a large warehouse. But the only place there were any really big warehouses was…the pier.

"…. I know that address…" Alfred said after taking one look at the location on the screen.

"You do?"

"That's where the original Batman was killed… The Joker's hideout…"

"But how can Robin be the Joker? I thought you said the Joker was dead?"

"He is. But Robin knows the hideout. He was the one who killed the Joker."

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would Robin go there?"

"I can find out the answer to that."

"How are you going to do that, Raven? We don't have any way of…looking into…Robin's…mind…"

"He's the only one who can provide any answer to what's going on. I'm going to look into his mind. It's the only thing to do now."


	11. You Can Do It, Robin!

**Disclaimer: I will never own the Teen Titans …  
****Or Batman Beyond for that matter…**

**Chapter 11:  
****You Can Do It, Robin!**

Raven sat in an empty part of the Bat Cave in her meditation position.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm finding Robin, of course."

"But you're just sitting there."

"Stop talking. I need to concentrate."

Raven felt Terri and Alfred staring at her: they had no idea what Raven was doing, "It's a form of meditation, okay?" Anything the two guys said, Raven just blocked out. She began her chant of: "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" As she said the third word, Raven felt her black soul self, the raven, leave her body in search of Robin.

* * *

The soul-Raven was flying through the streets of Gotham, past the supermarket, past the bank, past a traffic jam, and out to the pier. The soul self picked out one of the hundreds of warehouses along the pier. It passed through the walls and the floors to the basement. Then next thing her soul saw was Robin. Well, the Robin imprisoned within his own mind anyway.

"Raven! You have to get out before he finds you!"

"Robin. Calm down. I'm here to help."

"No! He will find you, and I can't let you get hurt!"

"I can't help you unless you let me in your mind."

"No! He will see you, and he will kill again."

"Kill? You mean like Batman?" No response from Robin.

The Robin she saw was nothing like the Robin she remembered from the days of the Teen Titans. Besides the fact that he looked about 10 years older, Robin was disheveled for being a projection in his mind. He appeared battered, beaten, and weak. Then again, he wasn't standing either. He was trapped within some sort of mental cage. He was physically tied to the floor of the cage by heavy metal chains.

"Robin, what have you done to Starfire?"

"I haven't done anything to her."

"Where is she, then?"

"He took her. He will kill her."

"What! Who took her?"

Robin didn't answer this, he just said, "He's here…"

"Who?"

"_Well…Well…Well… who do we have here? The infamous Raven?"_

Raven turned to face the evil… "Wait…you're just a kid…" He looked almost exactly like the Robin in the cage, except for the green hair which reminded her heavily of Beastboy.

"Not just a kid, Raven… He's the Joker's son."

"So what are you saying?"

"I am the Joker's son." The two Robin's responded, which was highly confusing to the soul-Raven.

"This doesn't make any sense…"

"_That's because you haven't heard the punch-line yet. And Robin doesn't live here anymore, so you should just forget about him."_

"Who are you?"

"_Allow me to introduce myself…I am Little J…"_

"Little J… Robin, what's going on?" The real Robin did not respond because he had mysteriously disappeared. "What have you done with Robin?"

"_I am Robin: the new Robin."_

"You could never replace Robin."

"_Awww… I didn't realize that you were his girlfriend…"_

"Shut up!" Little J's remark drove the soul-Raven crazy with hatred, but she managed to suppress until she was able to find something to do with it: like using her powers.

"_Oh, touchy are we? Well, I'm sorry about that. Perhaps these flowers will cheer you up."_ Little J tossed a bouquet of roses in the soul-Raven's direction. But before she could catch them, they exploded in her face, which jolted her backwards into the bars of Robin's mental cage.

"Raven!"

"_I must admit, Raven, it has been an honor and pleasure to finally meet you. Robin has thought so much about you. It's almost like I know you…"_

"Stop it! Leave her alone!"

"_Robin… Robin…When will you learn to stop interfering. Your friends hate you, why would they want to help you now?"_

"Because we can and will!" the soul-Raven used her power to grab five bars from the cage and began swinging them at Little J. Little J just laughed, which seemed to echo throughout the hollows of Robin's mind. Robin hated that sound. It drove him crazy because it sounded so much like his own laugh. Little J had stolen his features and his personality. He had even stolen Robin's agile capabilities, which is why he was managing to dodge Raven's attacks…

"Raven, it's useless. He controls me now…"

"Robin, You can't give up. You've always been able to fight anything that stood in your way. And now you're just going to let some figment of your imagination take over?"

"Raven, I can't…"  
"Yes, you can. If you would only let me, I will help you defeat him!"

"_I'm sorry Raven, but I can't let you help him."_ Little J threw one of Robin's exploding disks at the soul-Raven, catching her off guard. This caused her to lose her concentration, and she was jolted out of Robin's consciousness and flung back to her body which was floating above the floor of the Bat Cave.

As she left, she heard the echo of Robin's voice in her mind, "Raven!"


	12. Dude, We're Gonna Need Help

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or Batman Beyond.**

**CHAPTER 12:**

**Dude, We're Gonna Need Help**

While Raven, Terri, and Alfred were busy searching for Robin and Starfire in Gotham City, Cyborg and Beastboy were having troubles of their own. For example, Trigon had just emerged from the inter-dimensional portal.

"Dude! This is so not good!"

"You've got that right, B! Titans, go!"

"But what about--?"

"There's no time! We have to stall him!"

"Stall him! By ourselves!"

"Yeah! You don't see anyone else around do you?"

"What about Titans East? Shouldn't we call for help?"

"Oh yeah, good idea."

"It's good that someone is thinking straight around here!"

"You rarely ever do that."

"Hey!"

**_BACK IN GOTHAM…_**

"Raven, Are you all right?"

Raven awoke to find herself sprawled on the floor of the Bat Cave with the concerned faces of Alfred and Terri staring down at her.

"I think so."

"Did you find them?"

"Yes, they're in the basement of Warehouse 327. But--

"Well, then, let's go!" Terri stood up and ran over to the Bat-mobile.

Raven looked over at Alfred for help but he just shrugged. "You're on your own, Miss Raven."

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**Author's note: I know I haven't updated for some time, and I know this chapter is kind of short, but I'm sorry. I get writer's block every so often. I was beginning to think that I should write a little about what's going on back at Titans Tower with Cy and BB. I think that they need some help defeating Trigon, even though the Titans East will be helping them. So, if you want to be featured in this story and you have a character you think would be a good addition to the Titans, send me a review and I will consider your suggestion. Let me know if you want to be featured in Gotham City or in Jump City. I might put you in to help Raven and Terri! Plot ideas are also welcome! Thanks a ton, people!**


	13. Sawfire!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I never will.**

**CHAPTER 13: **

**Saw-fire!**

"Where…where am I?" Starfire slowly opened her emerald green eyes as the effect of the sleeping gas wore off. Wherever she was, it was dark. There was one bright ceiling lamp, which was hanging surgical style, overhead. The brightness of it blinded her. She was lying on some sort of table. Starfire tried to sit up from where she lay, but something strong and metallic held her body in place, even with her alien strength.

"There is no way to escape."

"Robin?"

"Robin is not here now. It's only me." Robin stepped into the light where Starfire could see him clearly.

"Why are you not Robin? You look like Robin." Robin just laughed lightly. "Where is Robin? What have you done with him?"

"Why he is right here, with us—

"(Robin's voice) Starfire! –

"(Little J's voice) Oops! That one slipped out!"

"What is this trickery? Who are you?"

"Never mind that now. All you have to remember is that your friend Robin is going to kill you. It'll be less painful if you stop struggling."

"What will you do?" Starfire continued to struggle.

"You'll see…"

"Robin, do you not remember me? It is I, your friend, Starfire!" Starfire watched helplessly as Robin disappeared from view. She could hear him chuckling in the darkness all around. Suddenly, the whirring sound of gears in some kind of machinery started up. The conveyer belt Starfire was strapped to began moving slowly forward, in the direction her feet were pointing. Rows of lights similar to the first one flashed on above, lighting a path to some unknown end.

_Robin… Where have you gone…_ Robin came back, but with him he carried a shiny silver object that glinted in the lamplight. While keeping pace with the slow motion of the conveyer belt, Little J slid the scalpel across Starfire's exposed stomach. This came as a painful surprise to Starfire who did not expect something like this to happen. She let out a small gasp of horror as she felt blood trickling down her side.

Little J continued to torture Starfire in this fashion as the belt moved toward its destination. Starfire lost all track of time. She only knew the pain of the cuts, and of Robin's betrayal. What added to her pain was Little J's laughter. The cutting stopped as suddenly as it had started. The stinging from the cuts on her arms, legs, and face continued, but no new slashing ensued.

Robin spoke to her, "That's nothing compared to the finale." He pointed toward the end of the conveyer belt where a new sound found its way to Starfire's ears. The sound came from a large machine that had a tunnel-like entrance towards the sound beyond. It sounded like the buzzing and churning of many saws meant to cut wood. Starfire began struggling even more against her bonds. But there was no way to break free. That was when the panic set in.

The tunnel loomed ever closer, it seemed an eternity to Starfire. The sound of the saws grew louder with each passing second. What made the trip seem the most unbearable was the fact that Robin stared down at her with a large grin pasted on his face. _Robin… Why? _She watched helplessly as her feet slipped into the inevitable darkness beyond the tunnel mouth. Starfire closed her eyes tightly as she heard the sound of the saws cutting through the soles of her boots. Then she braced herself for the approaching saws.

All of a sudden, the noise of the machine stopped. Starfire hesitantly opened her left eye to glance at the tunnel. It was true; the machine had stopped!

"I won't allow you to kill another person again."


	14. What the Heck is Going on Here?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and all the other shows and characters used in this story! (aka: Terri)**

**Author's Note: Okay, this chapter might get slightly confusing. Every so often Robin's voice is going to switch from that of Little J to his own. Every time Robin is using his own voice there will be quotations that will look something like this: "(Robin's voice)…etc…"**

**CHAPTER 14: **

**What the Heck is Going on Here?**

"I won't allow you to kill another person." –Terri's voice.

Robin turned to face the speaker. In Starfire's case, she just turned her head. As Robin turned, the scalpel was knocked from his hand and was launched over Starfire to the other side of the room, out of reach. His eyes followed the projectile until it landed on the floor. A small flicker from an object lodged in the wall caught his eye. It was… a bat-a-rang?

"We're here to help you, Robin." Raven's voice came from the darkness beside him. Robin flinched.

"And you might want to think twice before you fight back." To Robin's surprise, and Little J's horror, Batman dropped down to the floor of the basement.

"(Robin's voice) No… It can't be… you're… you're… dead…"

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_"That's right, Robin. You killed the bat."_

_"But, then, who's that?"_

_"An imposter. He's wearing a different costume; without the cheesy cape."_

_"Can it be… his ghost?"_

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After staring a while at Terri, Little J brought himself back to reality with wild laughter. "You can't be Batman! I killed you! This is just not possible…I mean…how could you be Bruce? I killed him…" While muttering this, Little J began backing up into the shadows. Terri approached him steadily, while Raven began to sever Starfire's bonds.

"Friend Raven! You have come to my resc—

Raven didn't answer because she was busy thinking about what Robin was saying when he saw Terri. _What should we do now to save him? I can't lose him. I… I… I love him… Did I just think that? There are two ways to save him, but which one? Both involve a large amount of risk to Robin's life. Terri can distract Robin while I enter Robin's mind to defeat Little J, or we can somehow convince Robin that Terri is really Batman,which he is…_

All Raven could think of to say to Starfire was, "Are you okay?"

"I am not sure…" While she was trying to stand up, Starfire's knees gave out from the loss of blood during the torture. Raven caught her before she fell to the floor.

"I can heal you." Raven proceeded to heal Starfire's wounds from her recent encounter, although her mind was slightly elsewhere. When she was done, Raven helped Starfire to stand, "There. Done. Can you stand on your own now? I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for your boots though."

"(Robin's voice) Stay away from me! You're not real. You're just a hallucination!" Little J tossed, what looked like, a handful of gumballs in Terri's direction. Terri managed to jump over them before they exploded in his face. Robin jumped on top of a nearby table and shot his grapple at the railing on the catwalk above. When it hooked, he swung up.

Raven knew that she had to make a decision, and quickly, before the situation got quite ugly. She did want either Terri or Robin to get hurt, or worse.

"Raven, what has happened to Robin?" Starfire jolted Raven back into reality.

"He's… not himself right now." Starfire stared at Raven, not totally understanding the explanation.

"Where has Robin gone, then?"

"Oh, he's there. He's just under some form of mind control."

"But then, who is that?" Starfire pointed up towards where Robin was currently trying to get away from Batman.

"That's—never mind! Just help me keep Robin from hurting himself and Batman!"

"But did Robin not—

"There's no time to explain! We have to save Robin."


	15. A Door

**Author's note: Hello everyone! How are you all? I just wanted to say something before I resume this story. I have not been around for a long (emphasis on the long) time because I have been traveling abroad. (Italy to be specific) But now as you can obviously see (or read, depending on you read it), I'm back and ready to write! I have recently been updating my story titled Return. But I think I can return to this one! I'll try my best! Here I go! And now I will stop typing before Neonean rips my head off for typing too much stuff!**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans… 

I'm running out of funny disclaimer ideas… oh no…

**A Robin's Story**

**Chapter 15:**

**A Door**

Raven rushed through her decision, "Starfire, try to keep Robin from hurting himself, and Batman. I going to try to stop Little J from inside Robin's mind."

"But I still do not—

"Just go! We don't have much time!" Starfire could tell that Raven was pressed for time now. So without another word or objection, Starfire took off to try to keep the battle injuries between Batman and Robin to a minimum.

Raven, on the other hand, glanced up at Robin. _'I hope this works… I can't lose you now…' _She then forced herself to look away and began another meditation session in order to infiltrate Robin's mind while he was distracted… "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

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"Robin! Where are you?"

"Raven! You can't be here!" The figment Robin had somehow managed to escape from his cage.

"Whether you want me to or not, Robin, I have to get into your mind. It might be painful, but you must let me in. It's the only way!" Robin opened his mouth to say something else in protest, but Raven continued, "Don't make me fight you, Robin, because I'm not here to destroy you. I'm here for—

_"Me? Raven… I knew you would be back."_

"Leave her alone, Little J!"

_"Now how in the world did you get out of your cage, Robin? You know you have to ask permission for that." _Little J shook his finger at Robin.

"I won't let you hurt her."

"Robin—

"Raven, stay out of this! This is not your fight!"

"But, Robin, I—

"No—

There was a loud whack as Raven used a bar from Robin's cage to knock the figment Robin unconscious, "I didn't want to do that… You're so stubborn, Robin."

_"Didn't know there was a cruel side to you, Raven… It's funny cuz, Robin didn't mention that."_

_'I don't know what you are, Little J. But you must be destroyed…'_ Raven thought. Raven then used her powers to hurl the bar that was still floating in the air straight at Little J. However, Little J's body tensed, in almost the same way Robin's would have done, and flipped right over the missile.

_"Don't think that destroying me will be so easy…"_

Raven frowned in frustration. _'I can't let him get to me. My emotions are too unstable as it is. If I let them loose, I could destroy Little J and myself as well as… Robin.'_

Raven dodged yet another of Little J's bombs, or traps, or whatever they were. Each one was different; each a different sick little prank. But this time, when she landed, a puddle of vegetable oil appeared right underneath Raven's feet. _'Where the heck did that come from--!'_ She slipped on the puddle and landed heavily on the floor of Robin's mind. "Oww…" Raven looked up to find Little J laughing hysterically, "What's so funny?"

_"You are! I can't believe that you just fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book! HAHAHA!" _The laughter echoed throughout the void of Robin's mind. Raven couldn't stand that laughing any more! It was so annoying! It reminded her heavily of a joking Beastboy.

But while Little J was laughing, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was a door, over to the left. _'Wait! I'm not in Robin's mind yet? This is kind of like a front stoop! That door must be the entrance! Why didn't Robin tell me? He's so stubborn!' _Raven looked back at the still laughing Little J and smiled, "You know what? This actually just one big riddle isn't it?"

Little J whiped a tear from the corner of his eye, _"HAHA---Wha'?" _Raven did not answer Little J's question. She just punched him in the face and ran toward the door. Little J stood up, rubbing the side of his face. His face fell when he saw Raven at the door, _"Raven, stop! I can't let you in! You can't go in there!"_

"Why not? You're not afraid of the dark are you?" But when Raven tried to turn the knob, it wouldn't open. _'Locked! No way!'_ There was a muffled scream as Raven kept tugging on the knob, _'What the--?'_

_"Geez! What a rude awakening! Don't you people ever just ask for me to open?"_ Raven looked down at the doorknob. It now had an eye and a mouth. And it was talking!

"Wait! Door knob's can't talk!"

_"We're in Robby's mind, remember? And anything's possible in here."_ Raven spun around at the sound of Little J's voice directly behind her, _"And don't think that you can get away that easy…"_


	16. Robin's Memory Hall

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. Sheesh! **

**I give up! I will never own them anyway!**

**A Robin's Story**

**CHAPTER 16:**

**Robin's Memory Hall**

**IN ROBIN'S MIND…**

The first thing he knew when he woke up was a headache. Someone must have hit him over the head with something. It had been something hard apparently. He took a damage assessment with his right hand, rubbing it over a lump on the side of his head. "What happened?"

_"We're in Robby's mind, remember? And anything is possible in here." _

_'That voice… Little J… What's going on?'_ he thought. He hauled his body up from the floor, still rubbing his head.

"What do you mean by anything?" Raven's voice made him spin around. His eyes widened at the sight. They were over by the door; Raven had her back up against it. Little J was currently sticking his nose right into her face, so close that Raven could probably smell his fetid breath.

_"That's for me to know, and you to find out, Raven dearest."_ Little J put his right index finger underneath Raven's chin as he said this. He could tell Raven was about ready to spit in Little J's face.

He snuck up behind Little J and wrapped his right arm so his elbow was around the villain's neck, "Leave her alone!" He balled his hands into a fist and squeezed to begin a chokehold on Little J.

Raven appeared shocked at what he was doing, or maybe she was surprised that he had recovered so quickly. He shouted to her, "Raven! Open the door!" He heard the click of the door's lock being opened.

"Fine! Here's the stupid room for ya! You ingrate!" –Doorknob

Raven glanced at the now open doorway and back to the figment Robin, who was struggling to keep his chokehold on Little J. The figment shouted, "Go! I've got this covered!" She didn't want to leave Robin alone with Little J again, but she knew what she had to do was more important: Destroy Little J and the source of his power.

Raven ran through the doorway, and slammed the door behind her. In doing so, the doorknob became indignant again, "Hey! Watch the hinges! I just had them oiled!"

Even after the door was closed, she could still hear some sounds of struggle on the stoop outside.

Raven then took a moment to find out where in Robin's mind she was, besides the foyer… Inside, there were screens all around the room: even some hanging in the space. Raven couldn't see any wires holding them up; they were floating. There appeared to be no end to the number of screens. Each screen had a different scene pictured on it, and they were all from Robin's perspective. She recognized some of the images from the days of the Teen Titans. Most of these were some she could recall.

_'Those must be Robin's memories.'_ she thought. Raven continued walking. At times she had to be careful because the screens were just floating aimlessly around Robin's inner psyche. There were three screens in particular that caught her attention. These were similar to a movie screen and they played the same set of images over and over again, but with subtitles for the sound:

_**First Screen:**_

_"Alright… Explain this to me again, Rob… YOU KILLED BATMAN WHILE BEING POSSESSED!"_

_"This changes everything now, man! At first I just thought all of your uptightness was just you, but this!"_

_"Why would you do this, Robin?"_

_'I don't know what to say… There's no way to explain this to them. They wouldn't understand...' –Robin's thought at that moment._

_"You know what? Now I just think that our whole idea of being part of this team is worthless now. Not like it wasn't before. It all means nothing now. It was all based on a lie!" _

_"It's not like that, Raven."_

_"Then tell us, Robin! What is it like knowing that you're a murderer!" _

_"I started the Teen Titans in order to make up for what happened." _

_"That's not an explanation, Robin! And nothing you can say or do can ever take back the fact that you killed Batman!"_

_"Why did you keep this from us, Robin." _

_The screen looked into Starfire's tear stained face. "I… I don't know…"_

_"Then, how do you expect us to trust you!"_

_"You don't have to. Maybe I should have never started this team."_

_"Good! Now maybe we can all go back to our lives! I thought that you would help me defeat my father, but you're just a big goddamn liar!"_

**_Second Screen:_**

_"Now, now, bird boy, this won't hurt a bit…"_

_"Let me go! AAAH!" The Joker produced a long needle and stuck into his arm. The anesthetic started taking effect and he lost consciousness. _

_When he next woke up, The Joker stood over him, "How's it going, sonny boy?"_

_"Fine, pops…"_

_There was an explosion and Batman entered. _

_"Welcome to my humble abode, Bats! Come and meet the family!" He walked out from behind a curtain holding a large gun. Batman's eyes widened when he recognized Robin._

_"Robin! Stop, The Joker! He's controlling you!"_

_"HEHE… Bye Bye!" and he fired…_

_**Third Screen:**_

_'This show is going to be awesome!' --Robin's thought at that moment._

_The circus began… There were the elephants, the lion tamer, and all of those acts. He clapped for all of them. But those weren't the ones he wanted to see the most. Then the ringmaster shouted into his microphone, "And now… the Flying Graysons!" _

_'Yes! There they are!' –Robin's thought at that moment._

_The man and woman walked out on their tightrope. They waved in his direction. They then performed all of their normal tricks to the cheering of the crowd. Then, they came to their final trick, their best one. _

_He was so enthralled by their performance that he never noticed what was happening by the corner of his vision, a dark figure climbing up the banisters and sawing through the tightrope. That is, he didn't notice until the man and woman fell. And there was nothing to catch them underneath! They always performed their last trick with no net…_

Raven was able to recognize the first set as the night the Titans broke up. The second had to be when Batman was killed. And she couldn't quite decipher the third, but it must have been about another death during Robin's childhood.

"What **is** this one?" she asked herself aloud.

"That's the night mommy and daddy died." Raven turned to find a child standing next to her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Richard."


	17. Catastrophe Strikes!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TT or Batman Beyond. Get off my case already!**

**A Robin's Story**

**Chapter 17: **

**Catastrophe Strikes!**

"Richard?"

"Yeah."

_'Who else would this kid be other than Robin! I'm in his mind! Duh!'_ Raven thought.

"What's your name?" Richard asked her.

"My name is Raven. Do you know me?"

"I don't think so."

_'Wait, that doesn't make any sense. How could Robin not know who I am? But then, this is his younger self, hidden within his older self. So this kid, Richard, does not know me because the kid Robin never met me.'_

"Do you know someone named Little J, Richard?"

"I think so."

"Can you show me where he lives?"

"I don't think I should."

"Why not? I'm here to help you."

"Huh?"

"Yes. I need you to take me to where Little J lives, right now, Richard."

"Okay, but you have to say---

Knowing what Richard was going to say next, Raven rolled her eyes and forced her self to say, "Please?"

"But that's not what I was going to ask."

"I don't have time for this, Richard. I need you to take me to where Little J lives."

"Follow me." Richard then took Raven by the hand and began to lead her out of Robin's memory hall, deftly avoiding the floating screens.

"Where are we going?"

"To where Little J lives, remember, Raven. That's where you want to go, right?"

Frustrated, Raven said, "Yeah, but that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"Where exactly are we going in your mind, Richard?"

"Oh, you'll see!"

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**In the real world… Gotham… The warehouse…**

In the years that had passed, Starfire realized that she had forgotten how good Robin was. To her, even Batman seemed to be having some difficulty in capturing him. Ever since Raven had told her to help Batman, they had been chasing Robin up and down, back and forth across the warehouse. Things around them were exploding and such in Robin's attempts to keep them away. They had been able to corner Robin about a dozen times, but every time Robin had pulled off some kind of stunt in order to escape.

Right now, they had lost sight of him. And Starfire was sort of lost inside the warehouse by herself. Starfire crept down a hallway, looking into various rooms, anywhere to find Robin. When all of a sudden someone grabbed Starfire and pulled her into another room. As the door closed behind her, Starfire let out a small, "EEP!"

A hand over her mouth silenced her in mid reaction, and a familiar voice said, "Don't scream. It's just me." Starfire was just able to make out the form of Batman in the darkness of the room, "And we're going to need a plan if we want to catch Robin."

Starfire nodded and said, "Perhaps you are right. What do you propose that we do?"

"I'll chase him back down to the basement, and you wait for us there. Let's go."

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**In Robin's mind…**

"Here it is, Raven. This is where Little J lives." Richard had brought Raven to what appeared to be the epicenter of Little J's power over Robin. It was just one room with a computer screen and another screen, which looked out into what Robin was seeing right now, set up on the other side of the room.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go destroy Little J!" Raven started forward but she didn't take three steps before walls shot up around her and Richard, "What the heck is going on here?"

"I knew this was going to happen…

"What are you talking about Richard? What's going on?"

"It's a maze… you have to go through."

"Of course, Little J would pull some kind of stunt like this! He's playing hard-to-get… and its really beginning to tick me off!" While Raven was ranting, Richard backed up a step or two. Raven was pretty scary when she was angry.

"I think I should stay here, Raven."

"No. You're staying with me Richard. You might be able to help me once we get out of this stupid maze. And I have a feeling it might be more than just a maze…" Raven took Richard's hand again and they started to walk through the maze. _'Raven has no idea how right she is,'_ Richard thought.

_"You don't know how right you are, Raven dearest."_ Richard and Raven spun around at the sound of Little J's voice.

"What's going on here, Little J? What's with the maze?" Raven demanded.

_"Raven… Raven… I thought you knew by now that anything is possible inside of Robby's mind." _Little J took a few steps toward Raven.

"What have you done with Robin?"

_"Never mind him, now, Raven. He can't interfere any more."_

Richard broke free of Raven's gripping hand and ran angrily, with tears brimming in his eyes, to Little J, "Where is he? What did you do to him? I hate you! I wish you were dead!" As he was saying this, Richard began to hit Little J with his small fists.

Little J, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered by this. He picked Richard up by the collar of his shirt and held him up at about arms length away from his face, _"You, on the other hand, Richard… I must find a way to get rid of you." _Richard took another swing at Little J's face, but Little J grabbed his wrist at just the right time. He chuckled, _"Such a temper! Just like Robin…"_ Little J then must have done something because Richard disappeared for a few seconds, but reappeared within a small cage next to Little J. Little J then turned back to Raven, _"Let's make a deal, Raven. Whoever makes it through the maze first gets to keep Robin. If I win, you leave and never come back. If you win, you can destroy me."_

Raven thought for a few minutes before answering. She knew it wasn't a good idea to make a deal with the villain. How could she know that he would actually let her destroy him willingly should she win?

Richard grabbed the bars of his cage and shouted at Raven, "Don't do it, Raven! You can't trust him! He's evil!" Raven looked over at Richard and she thought she saw two people in the cage, one that looked like the young Richard and the other was the Robin she knew.

"Richard--Robin, I have no choice. If I let him win there's no telling what he'll do to you."

_"You try my patience, Raven. Make your choice!"_

"Alright. I'll play your little game."

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**In the real world…Gotham… The basement of the warehouse… On the catwalk…**

The door to the basement suddenly exploded off of its hinges and Starfire blasted the door before it could hit her head on. Before the dust even had a chance to clear, Robin sprinted through the cloud of dust only to skid to a sudden stop on the catwalk in front of a floating Starfire.

"Robin, stop! I do not wish to fight you…" Starfire raised her left hand and it glowed with a ready starbolt. Robin backed up a few steps.

"Give it up, Robin. You can't win." Robin spun around to see Batman emerging from the clearing dust behind him.

Robin surprised both Starfire and Batman with a slowly widening smile, "That's what you think…" He then pulled out the gun hidden within his coat and fired a few times at Batman, who was just barely able to dodge the bullets.

Starfire and Batman jumped on top of Robin, trying to wrestle the gun from his grip. Robin fired random shots at them. In the melee, a stray bullet found its way into Raven's chest: she had been meditating over in the corner of the room.


	18. Can it be? Resistance?

**Disclaimer: do not own Teen Titans… (blah, I'm sick…)**

**Author's Note: **

**I have a cold.**

**I am bored, so I thought I would type up what I have of Chapter 18. **

**In real life, italics is in Starfire's head. Inside Robin's mind, italics are usually otherwise noted.**

**Please read and review.**

**CHAPTER 18**

"Raven!" Starfire screamed as she watched Raven's body fall to the floor of the warehouse.

The name, although spoken by Starfire, jolted into Robin's brain, knocking Little J out of control for a tad and bringing Robin back to reality. He spun around to look at where he had last seen the half-demon. What he saw both shocked and horrified him. Raven had fallen out of her meditative pose and onto the floor of the warehouse. Even from the distance and height of the catwalk, Robin could see the wound on her chest. He looked down at the gun in his hand and gasped. Robin dropped the gun and stepped back a few steps, "No… I… I did not just…"

Taking advantage of Robin's frightened and confused state, Terri jumped quickly forward and wrestled Robin to the ground. By this time, Robin had lost his senses and was frantically shouting, "Raven! I didn't—Raven!"

Starfire turned to look fearfully at the wrestling forms on the catwalk. Her right hand rose to cover her gaping mouth as she stared in horror at the screaming Robin. _This is not the Robin I know anymore…_

The only one who seemed the least bit calm or serious was Terri. As he tried to subdue a crazed Robin, he shouted to Starfire, "Go get Raven out of here. I'll take Robin and meet you outside." This snapped Starfire out of her terror for a moment as she flew as fast as she could possibly go down to Raven's side.

_**Meanwhile… In Robin's mind…**_

Raven felt the stabbing pain in her chest but did not know where it came from. She clutched her chest and gasped.

Little J seemed impassive as she did so. He sort of grasped an idea of what had happened in reality. But only vaguely. _'What's wrong, Raven dearest?'_

"Raven!" Richard shouted worriedly.

"It's alright…" Raven replied, "I'm fine…" as soon as she said it, Raven knew she was wrong. _Something must have happened to my body in reality… What is this?_ Raven thought.

_'Well, if everything is fine and dandy, Raven, we should start our lovely little race.'_ Little J turned away from Raven and started toward the entrance to the maze. He didn't take three steps ahead of Raven before someone tackled him from the right. Raven and Richard looked on in surprise as the figment Robin from before wrestled Little J to the floor.

"Robin…" Raven gasped. She was shocked to find her voice had weakened from the chest pain.

"Don't worry about me, Raven! Just go!"

Richard, by this time, had apparently gotten courage from Robin's sudden appearance, "Yeah! You can't let him win, Raven!"

Even though she wanted desperately to stay and help Robin finish off Little J, Raven knew she had a more important task at hand: destroying Little J for good. And from the increasing chest pain, Raven could feel that she didn't have a lot of time left in which to do it. So she tried her best to ignore the pain and lack of air and ran forward into the maze.

_'Left, left, right, right, left_…' Raven said to herself in her head while making split second decisions in terms of which way she should go through the maze. With each passing second, she began to notice her shortness of breath as she ran through the maze. Pretty soon, her lungs began screaming for air and demanded that her legs stop moving. Raven grasped her chest, which was continuing to throb more and more. She leaned against the nearest wall of the maze and gasped for breath through this pain.

_'I have to keep going… I can't just stop here because of a little pain! Richard… no, Robin will never forgive me if I don't keep moving…'_ she thought. Just as Raven finished this thought, the walls of the maze around her began to flicker wildly. _'What the… what's happening? The maze is— _as soon as she thought this, Raven realized, "Robin…"

**Reviews would make me most happy...**


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